The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-11
A STRANGE STORY.
The Military Man and the Millionaire
Mackay and Boulanger.

MacKaY ana 6OuldnBeIs
you Newspaper fellows" said a we'll
known wheat broker to San Francisco
Chronicle man, ARE making a great fuss
about the busted wheat deal and the losses
that will accrue from trying to corner the
worlds wheat but | believe you've over
looked one queer thing about the whole
NATTER
Whats thatf'
Give me time and I'll get there" said the
broker, biting off the end of a cigar. Now,
here he continued, ticking the points of
on his fingers, ARE the reasons the newSpa'
pers are giving for the smash-up-covet-
business, miscalculatiOns, excessive crop, in
creas ID facilities of transportation, amateur
tinanciering, and the refusal OF help by
! other banks. Now, these are all factors in
the tumble, of course, but there's another
that does not seem to have been properly
appreciated One reason for this is, | up
pose, that you are so in the habit of looking
upon commercial matters as something so
matter of fact that you can't conceive OF
their having anything romantic about them.
You can believe me- however, when ! tell
you that the romance of trade is as fruitful
a subject as that of changed children or a
forged will"
Where is the romance in this caseW
I'm getting there said the broker,
gently scattering the ashes of his cigar.
In 1884, you will remember, number of
military officers were sent out TO this coun-
try by the French republic to take part in
the centenary OF the battle of Yorktown.
Among their number was Brig. Gen.
Erneste Boulanger. After the celebration
in the East was over he came out here. He
was pleasant, cheerful kind of chap and
made many friends of both sexes. Among
the former was Raphael Well, who acted
as his fidus Achates and saw to his every
G. fhnxv hn
| come that twas currently reported that
should Boulanger ever come to the top of
the heap the genial Raphael might almost
expect to be made an archangel. Not bad,
that, eh!'
But Boulanger had no aspirations then;
had he any aspirations, | mean, besides
those of getting on in the service"
Excuse me- was the brokers' reply.
Notwithstanding Boulanger's free and easy
exterior, it is, l thought, matter of history
that as early as 1881 his plans were ripe and
only awaited publicity. Thus it was that
after his accession to that portfolio in the
French Cabinet which for fifteen years has
been deemed of equal Importance with that
of foreign affairs his plans for the reorgani-
zation of the French army were immedi-
ately made known. Every detail was nicely
adjusted and all things prepared for still
| holder stroke"
but what has all this got to do with the
wheat deal?n it was asked with some inn
patience
1T has this much" replied the broker
brushing the cigar dust off his vest, that
Boulanger even then-in 1881, | mean-was
an aspirant for power, and that ne had an
eye on the future. Consequently he looked
to the value of his friends, and a second of
these was another San Francisco gentleman,
none other than John w. Mackay. Now,
perhaps. you will see which way the cat is
going to jump. | can't state positively that
Boulanger made Mackay's acquaintance
when Mackay went to Paris, the General
and he were on very good terms. Things
had gone very well with Boulanger. On
his return to France from America he
was intrusted with the office of Director
of Infantry under the Minister of WaA
and in that position had done much tOwat&
the reorganization of the army Then in
1884 he took command of a division in
Africa and transformed the expedition of
force into one of occupation at Tunis
Lastly, upon the formation of the De Frey
cinet cabinet his great popularity became
evident Now, as to what passed between
the millionaire and the military man / can
not, of course, say with exact detail But
| have heard it more than whispered that
the millionaire was let into the confidence
of the military man, and that the plans and
aspirations of the soldier were known, if
not shared in, by the successful miner.
Now, then, let's put the case alphabetically,
as the lawyers say. Here was a French
men, as ambitious as they make them, and
with the chief point of ambition on the set
Element of the old feud between Germany
and France. Being Frenchman, too, he
was in all probability, to put it mildly, a
Spectator Here, too, was another man
with millions at his command. A war, we
will say, might be precipitated-war whose
end or extent no man could foresee. 1t
would, however, be great European war,
and some one would have to feed the armies
Not only would the armies have to be fed
but they would have to be fed at any price
Now, then, suppose the arrangements be-
tween the two went so far as to include a
fixed scheme by the one man to bring about
this war. All that the other would have to
do would be to corner all the wheat, and he
would be master of the situation and every
grain would be golden. To come back now
to the facts, the Goblet ministry came
in and Boulanger was Minister of War
Mr.. Mackay, of the Bank of Nevada, or
Dresback and Rosenfeld, or the wheat
clique, or whatever you may like to style it,
did begin buying up all the wheat he could
lay hands on, until it looked as though he
were actually attempting to corner the food
stuff of the world Everything looked
lovely. In France it had gone so far that
about May last mobilization of the troops
was on the tapis, and Germany was on pins
and needles as to how threatening that
massing of the soldiers along her frontier
might be. In San Francisco the wheat was
being bought up right and left, the price
was forced up to a figure that made con
sentative men shake their heads, but still
the purchases went on. Then came the col
lapse. The French people themselves grew
frightened BOulanger was declared to be
a dangerous man. the Rouvier cabinet was
formed, and Boulanger was left out in the
cold The imminence of war was averted,
and wheat, in perfect sympathy, mark you,
began to 90 down. The first crash really
came then. and though it was STAYED off
few weeks, you have seen that the inevita-
bic did take place"
Every ingenious and interesting" said
the Chronicle man. Have your permits
sion to print the remarkable storym
why, certainly; print it if you wish to-"
said the good tempered but modest broker.
by the way he concluded, glancing at
his watch, you might add this: The spirit
of war has by no means been laid-your
own daily dispatches prove that. That for
the first point, and the second is, that there
lis great big bulk of the cliques wheat that
is still afoat and unsold. Put these two
together, reckon in the proper percentage of
possibilities, and YOU will see that wheat
L.. -, -, I,I.1 al